Festivals & Events

Recreation Sports

Kayaking race (Picture BC photo)

Recreation sports events in British Columbia showcase the province’s beautiful and diverse landscape in epic displays of athleticism and sport.

Sporting action happens year round; watch top athletes compete on ski hills, in mountain bike parks, along roads and everywhere in between. Many occur annually and include a festival component with entertainment, activities and exhibitions for visitors and athletes.

Watch as skiers and snowboarders send tricks down Whistler’s snow-covered slopes at the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival. Those same mountains play host to vertical-defying freeride and downhill mountain bikers in summer at the Crankworx Freeride Mountain Bike Festival. Take part in the Sun Run – Canada’s largest running event – or trade shoes for cowboy boots at the Williams Lake Stampede, an annual display of BC’s cowboy culture and heritage.

For more details on recreation sports events, check out the links to information and/or product listings from business or service providers below. Or stop by a local Visitor Centre to find out what events are happening in specific locations.

This 8-stage running relay follows the gradient-rich Highway 26 from the busy resource town of Quesnel to the Cariboo Gold Rush mountain valleys of Barkerville. You will grind up hills steep and long, and stride past colourful and historic sites such as Cottonwood House, Lightning Creek, Robber's Roost and Blessing's Grave. The slopes are gentle past Jack of Clubs Lake and Barkerville, but then the route turns into a trail to Richfield which then climbs steeply to Summit Rock. Snow is certain to be encountered before retracing the path to finish up in the quaint but welcoming town of Wells. Participants rave about the course and the high standard of race organization, the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the great scenery and the amazing wildlife!

The 2015 PC Financial Open will take place at the prestigious Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. This event will kick-off the PGA TOUR Canada season, bringing professional golf back again to one of Canada's greatest sporting cities.

Rip Curl Pro Tofino is Canada's largest surfing competition and the only one in Canada open to all divisions. Sanctioned by the Canadian Surfing Association, it's also the Canadian Surfing Championship.
The annual surf competition provides an arena for competitive surfing in Canada. The divisions for the event are: Pro Men, Pro Women, Masters, Men's Longboard, Women's Longboard, Junior Men, Junior Women, and Children. The CSA recognition means that the Rip Curl Pro Tofino will deliver a national champion in each of these divisions.

Outerbike brings the world's best bike and gear manufacturers to Whistler for a massive, multi-day expo, where the latest road and mountain bikes are available for test rides. Register for the event to see for yourself whether the latest innovations in bike technology and geometry stand up to the test of British Columbia's world famous terrain.

The Whistler Half Marathon race takes place on a 21.1 kilometre course that includes Whistler's main Village. The gently-rolling course also winds through nearby neighbourhoods and along Whistler's already-popular running paths, offering spectacular mountain views throughout. Proving to be a hit with runners, this event sold out in 2014.

Vancouver will welcome the world as one of six Official Host Cities for the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015. The world's best women's soccer players will compete in 52 matches to determine who will raise the coveted FIFA Women's World Cup winner's trophy in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver. Vancouver is host to a total of nine matches, including the final on Sunday 5 July, 2015.

Check website for individual match information and other events taking place in conjunction with the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015.